Air-compressor.



W. REAVELL & E. W. JONES.- AIR COMPRESSOR.

I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, I916- Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

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1. a ve/z [or g l I @1 am e w. REAVELL & E. w. JONES.

AIR COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24. 1916.

1 26 1,437. Patented Apr. 2, 1918.,

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W. REAVELL & E. W. JONES.

AIR COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATIQN FILED JUNE 24. 1916.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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FFIQEQ WILLIAM REAVELL AND EDWIN WALTER JONES, OF IPSWICH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES AND REAVELL & 00., LIMITED, OF IPSWICH, ENGLAND.

AIR-COMPRESSOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed June 24, 1916. Serial No.-105,757.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM RnAvnLL and EDWIN WVAL'rnR JONES, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Ipswich, in the county of Suffolk, England, have invented Improvements in Air-Compressors, of which the following is a Specification.

This invention has reference to air compressors in which the compression is effected in three or more stages.

In some circumstances it is very desirable that the compressors should be compact especially as regards height; for instance in submarines, where there is little head room, ordinary types of compressors for the Diesel propelling engines are difiicult to arrange in the space available.

Now, in constructing a compressor according to the present invention objects are to make it more compact and require less head room than ordinary types, to insure that it will be effectively balanced in working, and will have all its valves assembled in an accessible position.

For these purposes in an air compressor of the kind in which the high pressure stage of compression is efiected in cylinders ar ranged parallel to and at opposite sides of the main cylinder and having; their pistons connected to the main piston so as to reciprocate therewith, the high pressure pistons are connected to the main piston by a bridle piece or frame that is rigidly attached in any convenient way to the main piston. below the center of the connecting rod crosshead 0r gudgeon and that is flexibly connected to the high pressure pistons by means which permit the said pistons to work properly in their cylinders even if there should be slight deflection in the bridle piece or frame under working conditions,

or, if owing to faults in erection or other cause, perfect alinement should not be maintained; the high pressure cylinders are in free communication with a common chamber fitted with inlet and outlet valves so that the pressure on the high pressure pistons will be the same and out of balance conditions of pressure will be avoided; and the high pressure and intermediate pressure cylinders or spaces are connected to inlet and outlet valves situated with the low pressure valves at the top of the compressor by pipes or ports which constitute parts of the high and intermediate compression spaces, the said cylinders or spaces being proportioned accordingly.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a three stage compressor embodying our improvements, Figures 1 and 2 being vertical sections taken at right angles to each other, Fig. 3 being a section on the line A A Fig. 1, Fig. 4: a plan of the head of the compressor with the cover removed and Fig. 5 a detail view illustrating one form of flexible connection between a high pressure piston and the bridle piece or frame; Fig. 6 is a similar View illustrating a modified form of such connection.

In this construction, the main cylinder a is of two diameters and is fitted with a trunk piston b reciprocated by a connecting rod 0, the gudgeon pin of which is above the lower end of the piston, and a crank shaft cl which may be an extension of the crank shaft of a Diesel engine; the first stage of compression is effected above the piston head and the second stage below the piston head in the annular space formed between the larger diameter of the cylinder and the smaller diameter of the trunk portion of the piston in the well known manner.

e, c are a pair of high pressure cylinders disposed at opposite sides of and parallel to the main cylinder a, the cylinders 6 may be attached independently to the top of the compressor standard as shown, or they may be integral with the main cylinder a. The cylinders c are fitted with pistons f that are flexibly connected to the arms of a bridle piece or frame 9 that is rigidly attached to the lower end of the trunk piston b as shown. In one method of connecting each piston f to its bridle arm, the lower end of the piston as shown in Fig. 5 is reduced and extends through a partly spherical washer h mounted in the enlarged and correspondingly shaped upper end of an opening in the bridle arm, the piston being tightly held in position but with sufiicient freedom to take its true alinement in the cylinder by means of a coiled spring i compressed against the underside of the bridle arm by a nut 70. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the washer h is seated in a laterally movable carrier k instead of directly in the bridle arm and the carrier h is formed with a spigot 7L2 which is of smaller in any direction; with this arrangement still greater freedom is given to the piston to take its true alinement.

All the valves are located in the casting forming themain cylinder. cover, theseveral. valves belng arranged'as seen clearly 1n Fig.

4, m and n being the lowv pressure inlet and- I outlet valves res oectivel r 0 the intermediate pressure inlet valve to which air is led from the 'outlet valve a through the first stage"- intercooler (not shown) p'th'e intermediate pressure outlet valve, 9 the high pressure inlet 'alveto' which' air is led fro1n tl1evalv'e-" 10 through the second stage interco'oler- =(not1 shown); and?" the highapressureoutlet or delivery valve; lheva-lves-0 and pcontrol the" passage of air -to and-from a chamber that is'i-in free communicationwith thebot valves quand. r-= control-* the: passage of air cated pipe connection t,-Figs.-- 1, Q-and 4a Thepassage s and itsconnected valvei Cllillll ber: form part" of the annular; second stagecompresslon space"and the pipe connection -26 and its connected valve chamber form partof the third" stage compression spaces, so that the'swept vol-ume oi zthese compression? spaces --ha's tor-be proportioned 1 accordingly:

The cylinders' m and e vare contained in: a coolingivvater j acket- :Which :is in communicm" tion': with cooling Water: spaces in the: cast-' ing l which is=provided-iwithra cover a; 7

What We claim is l3 A'nrair' compressor comprisinga main cylinder, a valveless trunk piston; working therein,1- twoehighli pressure cylinders: ar-' ranged parallel to and iat opposite sides of the mains cylinder," pistons Workingin said: cylinders,'-=a connecting rod extending "into' and connected to the =main piston, a bridle: piece rigidly attached to :the main piston below the connecting? rods connection and. carrying the high pressure pistons, substanttiall-y as "described;

2. Anraair: compressor. comprising "a main; cylinder, a: piston Workingstherein,..two higln pressure cylinders arranged..parallel ito and at :oppositessides of :thexmainr cyl inder; pis-'- tons working: in; said 1 cylinders, a connecting: rodraconnected tQ-itllfl'flllitlll pistongaia bridle" piecez: rigidly 1 attached; to the, main piston below the: center. of the connecting: rod; icon-z nection,= ands flexible: v connectionsue between" said ibridle piece and the high a :pressure 1315-: tons: adapted; to permit said pistons :to" moveinii-the ibridle, piece :sufiiciently to maintain: ali nement in' their cylinders substantially as described.-..

3J-An air compressorcomprisinga main tom o-li the-larger part oi the cylinder w througha passage .5,- F1'gs.=2"andl;-and the cylinder, a piston Working therein, tWo high pressure cylinders arranged parallel to and at opposite sides ofthe main cylinder, pistons working in" said cylinders, a" fixed chamber in free communication with and common to both high pressure cylinders, an inletvalve to said chamber, and an outlet valve from said chamber, so that'ainpasses bothsto andirom said cylinders through said chamber and the pressure on the high pressure pistons willbe the same, substantiallyas described; 4

4;; An air: compressor comprising a main cylinder, a valveless: piston Working therein tWOhlgh pressure chanibers arranged par allel: to and: at: opposite" sides oi the: main cylinder; pistons Workingin said highi pres sure chambers, one intermediate pressure chamber; inlet and outlet valves 1' fo r the main: ryiinder; inlet and foutliet va lv'e's :for th 'e '85 intermediate pressure chamber; one inlet valve and one outlet lvalveii'orr the rtwohigh pressure oyl'indersgx'all ithe lsaid va lvesabeingk located 1n -..thectop cover of :the compressor; and connecting: pipes-or ports iwhichi iconsti tutecp artsi-o fltheihigh: and lintermediateipressurecchambers,th e said.chainbersbeingipr0" portioned accordingly. 7

5. Ana; air compressor: comprising a i main cylindei'r, :aipi-s'tonisw O1l llf1gtl11 i] 1, tWOJlfiglI 9 5 5. pressureicylinderss man ged.-parallel-:to and: atao positecsi-des of.thesmailrcylinder, .pis-f to-usavorking in.saidicyiinders, a connecting; rod Lcon-nectedlto the main piston, a==bridle piece or frame rigidlyifattach'ediito the main piston; belowv thec center of the P connecting rod 1 connection, eachu highi lpressure piston; havingea reduced lower tend, openingsgin thebridle I-EIIHIJ through whi'chcthe reduced en ds L. oil saidi pistons extend, .a compressed :coiled spring upo-nz the rextending 'endsixof the* pis tons and anutsi adapted to. compress said springscand hold. the pistonstoethe bridle piecevori frame substantially as described! 6:; An'airi compressor? comprising; a main cylinder, a' pistonl Working therein; two high: pressure cylinders arranged :parallel toiand atzoppositersides offtheemai n cylinder, -pistons :WOTklllgiiIl saidrcylinders; connecting rod econnected 'tO tlleffllitllll' plSt0I1, ZL' lOPldlG' 1 1 5 piece :or rframe rigidly attached to the-main pistona ibelorvq thecenter: of thew-connecting rod connectioneaeach :high. pressure vp'iston having a. reduced: lower endg openingsxin the bridle a rm ithi ougha which the reduced ends 1 20 of said pistonsdrcelyextend;spherical ivvashe ers mounted at the :mouthbfsaid openings and adapted: to; support the-"pistons: :vvhich: extend therethrough, .compressed I coiled springs upon: the eXtending-aends ofthe pis tons-.5 andznuts adapted: to; compress said-- springs andflexibly hold the pistonstoy thebridle 'spiece; .substantiallylas described;

7 Anfair compressor comprising a-main cylinder, arpistonrvvorking therein two high pressure cylinders arranged parallel to and at opposite sides of the main cylinder, pistons working in said cylinders, a connecting rod connected to the main piston, a bridle piece or frame rigidly attached to the main piston below the center of the connecting rod connection, each high pressure piston having a reduced lower end, openings in the bridle arm through which the reduced ends of said pistons freely extend, laterally movable carriers mounted at the mouths of said openings, spherical washers mounted in said carriers and adapted to support the pistons which extend therethrough, compressed coiled springs upon the extending ends of 15 the pistons and nuts adapted to compress said springs and flexibly hold the pistonsto the bridle piece, substantially as described.

Signed at Ipswich, in the county of Suffolk, England, this twenty-sixth day of May, 20

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

